Alex
Tima is still in the kitchen when I go downstairs. I instruct him to prepare a tray for Katerina and a sandwich for me. While he’s getting our dinner ready, I grab a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants from the closet in the gym and get dressed. The food is ready when I return to the kitchen.
After delivering the tray to Katerina, who’s already half asleep in my bed, I leave her with a kiss and go to my study. A gourmet sandwich and a glass of water is set on the desk. I dial Adrian and finish the sandwich in three large bites while I wait for him to answer.
He picks up after several rings.
“What the fuck happened?” I ask, chugging back the water.
“Someone other than us wanted to find Mukha. He was already dead when I got there.”
“Fuck.” I scrunch the napkin in my fist. “How?”
“A bullet in the back of his head.”
That has a ring of Vladimir Stefanov to it. It’s his favorite style of execution. He likes to shoot between the eyes, but when his men follow orders, they do it the dishonorable way, by not looking the person they’re killing in the face.
“I managed to sweep the place before the police got there,” Adrian continues. “There was no sign of a computer or laptop. All his equipment had been cleared out. If Mukha had made a hard copy of the file, whoever got to him took it.”
I grit my teeth. “In other words, it’s a dead end.” Literally.
“Pretty much,” Adrian says with resignation. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Not for now.” I push away from the desk and stand. “Keep your ear to the ground. If you happen to stumble upon anything useful, I want to know about it.”
“I’ll do that,” he says before ending the call.
Fuck.
I slam a hand on the desk. Mukha was my only lead to what’s brewing with Stefanov. There’s still no sign of Besov. According to the man who’s watching his apartment, he hasn’t returned home. That leaves me with one alternative—a last resort. I’ll have to get the information from Stefanov himself. I’m not opposed to the idea of torturing the motherfucker, but I won’t be able to trust the filth that comes out of his mouth. I was hoping to have the information before taking him on. If he’s going to such lengths to hide it, there’s a good chance he may not spill the beans even when I pull off his fingernails one by one.
Walking to the window, I draw back the curtain. It’s dark, and snow is falling in the yellow glow of the powerful spotlights that illuminate the garden. On the opposite side of the river, someone is sitting in a room on the top floor of an apartment building with a pair of binoculars, reporting the activity in my house to Stefanov right this very moment. The idea makes me want to go out there and slit the cockroach’s throat before dumping his body on Stefanov’s doorstep and getting the fucking information I want. However, if I’ve learned anything in life, it’s that you win a war with patience and not with impulsive actions. There’s still time. Stefanov hasn’t made a move yet. I’ll give it until after Christmas, until we’ve visited Laura in the States. After that, the gloves will come off.
I drop the curtain and dial Nelsky. It’s after working hours, but my security chief takes my calls twenty-four-seven.
He answers in a shaky voice. “Mr. Volkov?”
“What’s the status on finding that file?”
He swallows audibly. “Nothing yet, sir.”
My temper ignites. “What the fuck am I paying you for, Nelsky?”
“We’ve tried, sir. Our hacker can’t find anything.”
“Is the hacker even worth the fucking space he’s taking up in my office?”
“He’s good, sir.” If anything, he sounds uncertain. “The best.”
“Then he’d better prove it. Get me something, or don’t come into the office when I’m back next week.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. We’ll work around the clock.”
“You do that,” I grit out before stabbing the red button to end the call.
Too on edge for sleep, I open my emails on my phone. There’s a message from Konstantin Molotov. His brother Nikolai is finally ready to sign the papers formalizing the joint venture. The only catch is that he wants to meet me in person to do so, which means coming to his remote compound in Idaho. Nikolai is cc’d on the email, so I reply, thanking Konstantin for the introduction and suggesting that Nikolai and I meet the day after Christmas. Katerina and I will be in America anyway, and I might as well kill two birds with one stone.
Nikolai replies promptly, confirming the meeting and saying that he’ll send directions and safety instructions.
Good. Like me, he must be a stickler for security. Then again, in our position, we don’t have a choice. We haven’t gotten this far by not watching our backs.
I go to the liquor tray, pour a double shot of vodka, and down it in one go. Another double later, I barely feel a buzz. What I need is a good sparring with the men.
I may not be any closer to having the information I want, but file or no file, before the New Year, Stefanov will be dead. That’s a guarantee.
25
Kate
On the morning of Christmas Eve, Alex wakes me early. He rushes me through a shower and breakfast, and forty minutes later, we’re boarding his private plane with the gifts he’d insisted I buy for my mom and friends when he took me sightseeing and visiting boutiques. We’ll be spending the night in Deep Creek, where Alex made reservations at a B&B. He must’ve booked out the whole place, seeing that Igor, Dimitri, Leonid, Yuri, and four other men are traveling with us.
I sleep for most of the flight, getting in some quality rest thanks to the comfortable bed in Alex’s bedroom cabin. Being the workaholic that he is, Alex uses the time to catch up on business.
He wakes me up for the landing just before four in the afternoon. Like when we were arriving in Russia, he’s constantly talking on a satellite phone, presumably making sure we’re safe. Four cars are parked outside the private hangar our plane taxies into. The armed men exit the plane first. When they’ve checked the cars and the hangar, Alex and I get into a car with Yuri. Sandwiched between two cars in the front and one at the back, we make our way to Deep Creek.
From town, it’s a short drive to the clinic. The modern building sits on a few acres of land near a lake. Snow covers the ground, and the blue lake is frozen, forming a beautiful picture.
My mom is waiting in the lobby when we arrive. Dashing across the floor, she pulls me into a hug.
“Katie.” After kissing my cheek, she holds me at arm’s length. “Look at you. You’ve lost weight.” Her brow furrows. “Are you eating enough?”
It’s hard to contain my emotions and not burst into tears. “More than enough. I’m so happy to see you.”
“Me too.” My mom turns to Alex. “This is the best gift ever.”
Alex bends down to kiss her cheek. “You look great, Laura. It’s good to see you.”
My heart warms as I take her in. She indeed appears trim and fit. Her skin has a healthy glow, and her eyes are sparkling.